A Brief Goodbye
by Mechanical Orange
Summary: Just before the final battle against the Dark Lord begins, Fred says goodbye to the person who means the most to him. Takes place during DH. One-shot. Fred/Verity.


"Fred! Fred Weasley!" The voice strained to be heard above the din, the noise produced from shock and fear. "Fred!" The voice was desperate, echoing across the Great Hall and trying to find the ears of the boy it called for. The girl the voice belonged to scrambled among the masses, fighting to find her objective. "Fred!" She struggled to push frightened bodies out of her way. She had seen him; he was here. His red hair was hard to miss. She was being held back by everyone fleeing, everyone abandoning the castle. For the Dark Lord had come.

"Fred!" She saw him, not ten yards away. She had made it out of the engulfing crowd of scared schoolchildren. He turned when he heard his name. He saw her finally, out of breath and disheveled. A confused and relieved look spread across his face as he saw her coming toward him.

"Verity?" he called back. Fred's twin turned as well. "George," he said, addressing his twin, "it's Verity."

"Fred, George!" she replied. "I'm so glad I found you!"

"We were worried about you," Fred said.

"Yeah, we're glad you found us too," George added. Verity looked from twin to twin, a relieved smile forming on her face.

"George!" she gasped, smile vanishing. "Your ear! What happened?"

"Snape," George replied simply. "Though it's a lot easier to tell us apart now, isn't it?" He grinned and so did Fred. Verity added her own reluctant smile. There was a tenseness among the three of them, each of them holding back their own feelings, pretending things were as they used to be. But they weren't. The short silence among them allowed the din from the Great Hall to reemerge.

"Verity," George said, "You should go."

"But I—" she began, but Fred cut her off.

He leaned close to her and whispered, "I don't want you to go either, but… it's for the best."

"Fred…" Verity responded, but her voice caught in her throat.

Fred put his arm around her and led her a few feet away. George looked concerned for a moment and turned away. "I'm so glad you're here and okay and… Well, I didn't know if you had left or…" Fred didn't finish his thought and his silence hung in the air for a moment before it dissipated. "But you're still here." He gave a small smile; Verity returned it.

"I'm still here," she whispered. And suddenly she was hugging him, clinging tightly so he couldn't vanish again. "I was worried… the store closed, but I knew you had to be okay… the mail order… the radio… but people were disappearing all the time and…" She stifled tears and sobs of relief.

"We had to go into hiding," he said softly. He held her stroking her hair. "I couldn't write. I'm so sorry."

"It's okay." A silent moment passed, each holding on to the other, soaking in each other's warmth. "I missed you."

"I missed you too," he replied. And finally he withdrew from the embrace. "Verity," he said, "you have to leave." His misery was apparent. Two minutes was too soon to let go. "You can't stay here."

"No, Fred, let me stay, please," she begged, her eyes watering once again.

"No, it's not safe," Fred replied; he was torn she knew.

"But I want to stay with you!" she cried.

"No!" His expression was wretched. "I can't… if you leave I'll know you're safe. Please, just… just let me have that." His hands were on her shoulders; he was doing all he could to restrain himself from embracing her again.

"Fred…" she began.

"Please," he begged. "Please, just go." He released her shoulders and began to walk away. Verity gasped, choking on her sobs. She knew he was right, but…

"Fred!" she called, and chased after him. "Fred!" She grabbed him as he turned around and suddenly she was kissing him. He was surprised at first, but accepted it. He put his arms around her and kissed her back.

* * *

It was love at first sight. At least for Fred it was. The first time she saw Fred, Verity couldn't tell which twin he was. "I wouldn't go down that hall if I were you," Fred said mischievously as she walked by him in a Hogwarts corridor one afternoon two years prior. She gave him a skeptical look, but took his advice anyway. Five years at Hogwarts had taught her to always be wary of two things: Peeves and the Weasley twins. "See you around," Fred called after her. He was smitten; she was just confused.

"Hello," Fred greeted as she passed by him in the Great Hall a few weeks later. "Would you like to buy a box of skiving snackboxes?"

"Sorry?" she said, stopping to look at her inquirer. This time both of them were there, and even side by side they were difficult to tell apart.

"Skiving snackboxes," Fred repeated. "You can fake being ill to get out of class."

"Quite handy when you want to skive off a particularly boring class," George piped up.

"I can imagine," Verity responded.

"So will you be taking a box then, Miss…?" Fred asked.

"Nicholson," she replied. "Verity."

"First box is on the house," Fred added suddenly. George gave him a sharp look to which Fred was completely oblivious.

"Well then, what have I got to lose?" Verity chuckled. "You can put me down for one."

"Excellent!" Fred said, adamantly ignoring the gaze of his brother. "I shall deliver it to you myself."

"Thank you…" Verity trailed off awkwardly. She had meant to thank him by name, but she had no idea which twin she was speaking to. George, sensing her confusion decided to help her somewhat discreetly.

"And don't forget to tell your friends about Fred's," he motioned to his twin, "and mine," he motioned to himself, "business, Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes."

"Of course," Verity smiled and took her leave.

"Oh, Fred," George said as soon as Verity was out of sight. "You've got it bad."

"What?" Fred responded distractedly.

"First box is on the house, I'll deliver it myself," George repeated in a mocking tone as they began walking back to the Gryffindor Common Room. "I'd really appreciate it if next time we closed a business deal you would try not to drool as much."

"Come off it you prat!"

"Oh, I'm the prat?" George said. "I wasn't the one standing there with my mouth hanging open over some girl who doesn't even know who I am."

"Yes she does!" Fred argued.

"Oh, really?" George asked skeptically. "Did she say your name at all in that entire conversation?"

"Yeah, she said my name!" Fred said defensively. He paused for a moment before adding, "I heard Fred!"

"That was me you idiot," George replied. "I decided to be nice and help her out, since she obviously couldn't tell us apart."

Fred looked confused and slightly disheartened for a moment before saying, "Yeah, well now she knows who is who."

"Doubt it."

"You would," Fred sighed. "But at least we got a sale out of it, didn't we?"

"It's not a sale if it's on the house, is it?" George asked, slightly irritated.

"Oh, well she'll tell her friends," Fred assured him.

"She better," George replied begrudgingly.

* * *

"Go," Fred said as he tried to push Verity away from him. "Go now." The throngs of students in the Great Hall were slowly dissipating and Verity would miss her chance.

"Come with me!" she said, her last desperate attempt to stay with him. As Fred tried to push her away she fought to keep him close to her.

"I can't," he replied. "You know I can't."

"Please!" she sobbed. "I don't want to be apart again, not knowing…"

"Verity," Fred said, trying to calm her, "I promise I'll find you again after this is over. But you have to leave now." He pushed her away again, this time with a sense of firm finality.

"Swear it," she said through her tears.

"I swear," he replied solemnly. "Please… just go."

"I love you, Fred," she whispered.

"I love you too, Verity." Fred gazed at her with sad intensity. "Everyone's almost gone. You need to go with them." Verity wiped away her tears, but could manage no more words. An understanding silence passed between them and very reluctantly, Verity turned and walked away. She 

disappeared into the masses and at last Fred breathed a sigh of relief. She was leaving the castle. She at least, would be safe. George came and stood beside his twin. "George," Fred began, "if I don't come back…"

"Fred, shut up," George interrupted tersely.

"But if I don't…" Fred tried again.

"Yeah, I know," George said. "I'll take care of her."


End file.
